Wind Sector Prospectus Kenya

WinDForce Management Services Private Limited, 5th Floor, Universal Trade Tower, Gurgaon Sohna Road, Sector 49,
Gurgaon 122001
Phone: +91-124-6653100 / Fax: +91-124-6653200, E mail: info@windforce-management.com, Website: www.windforce-management.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Energy is essential to economic and social development and to improve the
quality of life of the people and is also an important development indicator,
which provides vital inputs for economic development. The African continent
has abundant energy resources, which still remains untapped. Renewable
Energy in form of hydro, geothermal, wind and solar is a major energy
resource spread out across Africa. The energy which can be extracted from
these resources can solve the most prominent problem that persists in the
continent - Shortage of Power. The potential of these renewable energy
sources is so high that it can solve the problem of shortage, as well as
provide the power to everyone at affordable rates.
Kenya, the country with immense renewable energy sources in the form of
geothermal, wind and solar also faces huge power problems like many of
other countries in the African continent. Though there have been initiatives
to harness these renewable energy resources in Kenya, but this potential is
at large untapped especially for wind and solar. To utilize the energy from
this potential requires significant investments and adequate infrastructure in
terms of a stable grid network to be able to link these potential resources to
demand centers.
One of the key sources of renewable energy in which the Government of
Kenya is investing effort and money is wind power. The Government of
Kenya has estimated that 500 MW of wind capacity will be installed in Kenya
over the coming two to three years and 2 GW of installed wind capacity by
2030. The Government of Kenya is encouraging independent investment in
the wind sector and has introduced a feed-in tariff (FiT) similar to those that
exist in Europe in order to attract investments in the wind sector.
Kenya has vast unexploited wind energy resource that can fulfill power
requirements for the whole country. To utilize this immense wind resource
potential, Ministry of Energy, Kenya with funding from World Bank
commissioned WinDForce Management Services Private Limited to provide
WinDForce Management Services Private Limited, 5th Floor, Universal Trade Tower, Gurgaon Sohna Road, Sector 49, Gurgaon 122001
consultancy services for Wind Energy Data Analysis and Development

Programme under Energy Sector Recovery Project.
The Wind Resource Assessment carried out by WinDForce shows that over
73% of the total area of the country experiences annual mean wind-speeds
more than 6 m/s at 100 m above ground. This fact establishes the immense
potential for wind energy utilization in this country. The wind regimes in
many parts of Kenya especially the northern and eastern regions such as
Marsabit, Ngong and the Coastal region can support large scale utility
electricity generation as these regions enjoy extremely good annual mean
wind speeds in the range of 6-10 m/s throughout the year.
This Wind Sector Prospectus for Kenya will act as an introduction and a
guideline to wind potential in Kenya for domestic and foreign
investors/developers to suitably assist relevant stakeholders in public as well
as private sector to invest in Wind Power Projects in Kenya with confidence.
KENYAS WIND ENERGY SECTOR

In Kenya, the main sources of energy are wood fuel, petroleum and
electricity accounting for 69%, 22%, and 9% of total energy use1
respectively. More precisely, 67.5% of electricity is generated using
renewable energy sources which are predominantly Hydro with 47.8%2 and
Geothermal with 12.4% respectively, while 32.5% is from fossil fuels. The
total electricity which is generated is shared by less than 20% of population
of the country, and more than 80 percent of the population remains without
access to the electricity. The present contribution of wind as a source of
energy is only 0.3%, which with encouragement from the Government of
Kenya after introduction of an attractive feed-in tariff is expected to jump
upwards significantly in the next few years.
The Kenyan economy, population and industry are all expanding at such a
rate that there is currently a 13.5% annual increase in electricity demand in
the country, with demand expected to reach 15 GW in 2030 (current peak
demand is around 1.5 GW). In order to help progress the growth of the
renewable energy sector, the Government of Kenya (GoK) plans to invest up
to US$ 50bn over the next 20 years in order to cope with the 13.5% annual
increase in electricity demand. In these huge investment plans, wind is
going to play a vital role in meeting the continuously increasing demands of
the country.
http://marsgroupkenya.org/pdfs/2011/01/Ministry_PDFS/MINISTRY_OF_PLANNING/Strategies_for_Securing_
Energy_Supply_in_Kenya.pdf
2
A Globally Competitive and Prospectus Kenya, Kenya Vision 2030
Kenya can benefit a lot from the wind energy in the coming years for several
reasons such as:
Immense wind energy resource

Kenya has vast unexploited wind energy resources that can fulfill power
requirements for the whole country at an affordable price. The potential
to generate electricity out of wind power is so high; it can successfully
solve the problems persistent in the country since decades and can make
electricity available to the entire nation. At present, the country has an
installed capacity of 5.1 MW windfarm operated by KenGen at the Ngong
site near Nairobi. In spite of high wind potential assessed by WinDForce
in a this study, for various reasons such as insufficient wind resource
data, lack of financial resources, inadequate infrastructure and extent of
grid, wind energy development on a utility scale could not take place. To
amend these issues and to attract investments in wind power
development, Ministry of Energy, Kenya (MOE) has embarked on
initiatives to attract investments through appropriate policy mechanisms
under PPP frameworks. The MOE with funding from the World Bank
commenced a wind monitoring program in 2011-12 and the analysis of
the data from this monitoring exercise across the country, carried out by
WinDForce are very encouraging, as vast tracts of lands have been
identified with rich wind energy resource potential, especially in many
parts of northern and eastern Kenya. The Wind Resource Assessment
shows that the country is bestowed with immense potential and certain
models of wind turbines such as Vestas - V100 and GE - GE103 have
been assessed by WinDForce to have a Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF)
or Plant Load Factor (PLF) generation potential of 40% or more at sites in
Marsabit and Turkana counties which would lead to extremely attractive
equity returns to investors.
Technological advancements in wind energy

Wind energy is one of the fastest developing energy technologies across
the globe. Countries around the world are making serious efforts to
harness wind energy on a utility scale. Wind Energy is being considered
as the most mature option among renewable energy sources for meeting
the energy demand from various perspectives such as environment,
energy security and socio-economic aspects without foregoing economic
development. The technology advancement to harness power from wind
energy would help in cost reductions in generation. Also, wind energy
poses a unique opportunity for Kenya to directly leapfrog the path taken
by industrialized countries, to renewable sources of energy directly.
Diversification of energy sources to reduce over-dependency on

hydro power
Kenya depends heavily on hydro power (around 50%), and during dry
seasons, the power generation drops quite significantly. Implementation
of wind energy projects would significantly reduce the countrys
dependence on hydro projects. It is also a well know fact that hydro
power and wind power complement each other and in power systems with
a high component of hydro, it also possible to integrate larger capacities
of wind power. Therefore, Kenya is uniquely placed to harness wind
energy on a larger scale.
High cost Diesel Generation

The thermal generation not only in Nairobi but also in other smaller towns
takes place with either diesel or oil which are very costly options. Wind
energy at the assessed PLFs of 30% and more can be far more
competitive than diesel generation.
Energy Security
Kenya, a developing country of Africa needs to secure its energy needs
from price and availability fluctuations. Since fuel based projects will
always be subject to these risks, the country needs to diversify towards
indigenous RE sources. Vast wind energy potential assessed should
enable the country to achieve self sufficiency in Energy.
In order to promote renewable energy projects like wind energy

development programme on a commercial scale, the Government of Kenya
(GoK) has also introduced Feed-In Tariff (FIT) policy to attract private
investments. The policy provides a fixed tariff of around 11 US Cents for
electricity generated by wind-farms in grid connected mode. This tariff
applies to all individual wind power plants whose effective generation
capacity is above 500 kW, and does not exceed 100 MW. For electricity
generation from wind resource, the Ministry has established FiT for a span of
20 years from the date of commissioning.
The key benefit for Kenyan wind sector in the form of feed-in-tariff
of 11 US Cents per KWh for potential wind sites which would
generate around 1.5 to 2 times of the output as is generated in the
countries pioneering across global wind industry presents with an
exciting opportunity for investments in Kenya which is to unfold in a
big way in the coming times.
ATTRACTIVE POLICY AND REGULATORY

FRAMEWORK FOR WIND PROJECTS IN KENYA
The Government of Kenya recognizes implementation of renewable energy
sources (RES) to enhance countrys electricity supply capacity and
diversification of generation sources. The Energy Act 2006 on Promotion of
Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation empowers the Ministry of
Energy to promote development and use of renewable energy technology.
The main policies concerning RES are:
(i)
Least Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP),
(ii)
The Energy Act of 2006,
(iii) The Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Policy,
(iv) The Kenya National Climate Change Response Strategy and Kenya
Vision 2030.
The Government of Kenya adopted various policies to accelerate the
facilitation of RES to meet electrical supply and consumptions:
The Energy Act 20063 brings enforcement of energy sector activities
under one body, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). The Act
also created the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) to manage the
Rural Electrification Programme and the Rural Electrification Fund.
The Ministry of Energy established a Feed-in Tariff policy (FiT) in 2008
covering wind, small hydro and biomass sources. It provides
investment security and market stability for investors from RES whilst
encouraging private investors to operate their power plants prudently
and efficiently to maximize returns;
http://www.erc.go.ke/energy.pdf
Development of National Climate Change Response Strategy in 20104

to strengthen and focus nationwide actions towards climate change
adaptation
and
GHG
emission
mitigation;
The Government intends to set up a Green Energy Facility to pool
donor contribution which will help firms and other institutions to
generate clean energy and manufacture energy-efficient appliances.
The Government has zero-rated import duty and removed Value Added
Tax (VAT) on renewable energy, equipment and accessories.
Feed in Tariff Policy
Feed in Tariff (FIT) is a policy strategy which aims to increase investment in
renewable energy technologies. FIT strives to attract private and public
investors by offering a lower cost of per unit energy generation from
renewable energy sources such as wind, bio-mass, geo-thermal, solar etc.
To promote renewable energy, especially wind energy development on a
commercial scale, the Government of Kenya (GoK) has introduced FIT
policy5 to attract private investment. The FIT policy provides for wind
generated electricity a fixed tariff of the order of US $ Cents 11.0 per
kilowatt-hour of electrical energy supplied in bulk to the grid operator at the
interconnection point. This tariff applies to individual wind power plants
(wind farms) whose effective generation capacity is above 500 kW and does
not exceed 100 MW. For electricity generation from wind resource, the
Ministry has established FiT for a span of 20 years from the date of
commissioning. The FiT provides a fixed tariff not exceeding USD 0.11 per
Kilowatt-hour for wind generated electricity up to an installed capacity of
10MW. For project above 10MW capacity, similar standard fit would be
applicable. This is intended to attract private sector investments in setting
up wind-farms in Kenya.
4
5
http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/National-Climate-Change-Response-Strategy_April-2010.pdf
http://www.erc.go.ke/erc/fitpolicy.pdf
The Feed in Tariff values for Wind project is tabulated below:

Table 1: Feed in Tariff values for Wind project
Renewable
Energy
Source
Installed Standard
Percentage Min.
Max.
Max.
Capacity FiT
Escalable
Capacity Capacity Cumulative
(MW)
(USD/kWH) portion of
(MW)
(MW)
Capacity
Tariff
Wind
Wind
0.5-1.0
10.1-50
0.11
0.11
12%
12%
0.5
10.1
10
50
500
As a result of the publication of the FiT, there has been a considerable

interest among potential investors to invest in Kenyas renewable energy
sector. The Ministry of Energy has received 49 applications under this
mechanism for a combined capacity of 1521 MW, while 42 were approved
with cumulative capacity of 1,311 MW under different technology types. On
wind technology, the Government received a total of 236 applications, with a
combined capacity of 1118 MW which constitutes 74% of the total renewable
energy sources. Out of these 20 applications totaling 1,008 MW were
approved.
http://www.erc.go.ke/erc/LCPDP.pdf
Salient Features of FIT in Kenya

1. There is a uniform PPA arrangement, which is offered only on the basis
of technical and legal feasibility. Only minor clauses are flexible. This is
done to eliminate any bias.
2. The FIT values are given in USD, these values will be fixed for the
period of 20 years
3. In case of Wind Power projects, a detailed technical and financial
feasibility study has to be undertaken
4. GoK has set up 95 wind monitoring sites (Wind Masts), the selected
sites should not be beyond 50 kms from the monitoring sites
Objectives of FIT
1. To promote Renewable Energy
2. To Encourage participation from private sector: Plants run by the
private sector are generally run more efficiently
3. Increased number of projects producing renewable energy will result in
a. Reduced dependency on Fossil Fuels
b. Carbon Credit Benefits
c. Reduced GHG emissions
4. To guarantee energy supply throughout the country
5. Diversify the countrys energy production sources
6. Generate local employment, infrastructure development and increase
grid connectivity
7. All projects implemented under the Feed-in-Tariff system shall comply

with all other relevant technical, legal and regulatory requirements of
Kenya
Benefits of FIT
1. Investment stability guaranteed by a long-term feed-in tariff contract
such as 20 years in case of Kenya
2. Low administrative and regulatory barriers
3. Reduce transaction and administrative costs and delays associated
with the conventional procurement processes
4. There is no bidding for availing access to renewable sites or resources.
It is based on First come first served.
5. There is a standardized PPA arrangement which is offered to only
those projects which demonstrate technical and legal feasibility
6. Projects applying for FIT will have guarantees to ensure
implementation
The feed-in-tariff of 11 US Cents per KWh for wind sites with immense
generation potential is an investment opportunity which would largely
benefit investors with first movers advantage.
WIND RESOURCE POTENTIAL IN KENYA

WinDForce has carried out detailed assessment for development of wind
Atlas for Kenya. The assessment is carried out in GIS environment using
wind mast datasets, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, SRTM Digital Elevation Model
and Global Land Cover (GLC 2000) datasets. The wind speed for entire
Kenya is categorized as Class I (>8.5 m/s), Class II (7.5 - 8.5 m/s), Class
III (6.5 7.5 m/s) and Class IV (6 6.5 m/s).
At 100m height, It is observed that Marsabit in Eastern division has the
largest potential area with a maximum of mean annual wind speed of 9.27
m/s and minimum of mean annual wind speed of 5.32 m/s followed by
similar wind speeds in Turkana County in Rift Valley province.
WinDForce has estimated Kenyas potential area at various intervals of wind
speeds for heights at 60m, 80m and for 100m. For example, at 100m
height, 2825 sq km of potential area is categorized in Class I, 28228 sq km
in Class II, 288715 sq km in Class III, 107410 sq km in Class IV and 166035
sq km as not suitable.
Table 2: Area under different wind speed classes at 100 m.a.g.l
Wind
Speed at
100m
height
Wind Speed
Interval
(m/s)
2 2.5
2.5 3
3 3.5
3.5 4
4 4.5
4.5 5
5 5.5
5.5 6
6 6.5
6.5 7
7 7.5
7.5 8
Potential
Area
(Sq km)
7
435
1007
1643
6932
20794
56435
78782
107410
142352
146363
21318
Wind
Speed
Classes
Not suitable
Class IV
Class III
Class II
Wind Speed
Interval
(m/s)
8 8.5
8.5 9
9 9.5
Potential
Area
(Sq
6910km)
2586
239
Wind
Speed
Classes
Class I
Geographically, in Central provinces, counties such as Nyeri experience fairly

good wind speeds with maximum value of mean annual wind speed of 7.44
m/s covering a potential area of 3359 sq km followed by Kirinyaga with 7.41
m/s and 1481 sq km. In the coastal division, counties such as Tana River,
Lamu and Kilifi also posses good wind speed with maximum value of mean
annual wind speed of 8.32, 8.26 and 8.26 m/s and potential area of 38610
sq km, 6878 sq km, and 12310 sq km respectively. In the eastern division,
Marsabit County has maximum of mean annual wind speed of 9.27 m/s with
potential area of 75596 sq km followed by Meru, Embu and Isolo with 7.61,
7.5 and 7.83 m/s and potential area of 7172 sq km, 2760 sq km and 24881
sq km respectively. In the north-eastern provinces, counties such as
Garissa, Mandera and Wajir have potential area of 44459 sq km, 28302, sq
km and 53413 sq km with maximum of annual mean wind speed of 7.73,
7.73 and 7.75 m/s respectively. In the Rift Valley province, counties such as
Turkana has maximum potential area of 61353 sq km with maximum of
annual mean wind speed of 7.11 m/s followed by Nakuru with 29286 sq km
and 6.52 m/s. Baringo also posses fairly good potential area with 10942 sq
km and wind speed of 6.79 m/s.
Area under different Wind Speed classes (m/s) at 100 m.a.g.l

160000
140000
120000
100000
80000
Wind Speed
Interval (m/s)
60000
40000
9 9.5
8.5 9
8 8.5
7.5 8
7 7.5
6.5 7
6 6.5
5.5 6
5 5.5
4.5 5
4 4.5
3.5 4
3 3.5
2.5 3
2 2.5
20000
Figure 1: Potential Areas with defined interval of wind speed at 100 m.a.g.l.
Figure 2: Wind Speed Map of Kenya at 100m height
Furthermore, comparative analysis of Wind speed was carried out at

different height of 60m, 80m and 100m heights respectively.
Area under different Wind speed classes

at 60, 80 and 100 m.a.g.l
200000
180000
160000
140000
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 60m
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 80m
9 9.5
8.5 9
8 8.5
7.5 8
7 7.5
6.5 7
6 6.5
5.5 6
5 5.5
4.5 5
4 4.5
3.5 4
3 3.5
2.5 3
2 2.5
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 100m
Figure 3: Comparative Analysis of Wind speed at 60m, 80m and 100m

In addition, WinDForce has assessed wind power density (WPD) for entire
Kenya at each 1 sq km and at different heights of 60m, 80m and 100m. The
density is categorized as poor (< 150 Watt/m2), fair (150-250 Watt/m2),
good (250-350 Watt/m2), or excellent (> 350 Watt/m2)7.
7 http://www.renewableenergyst.org/wind.htm
Table 3: Potential areas with equal intervals of wind power density at 100
m.a.g.l.
Wind power
density at
100m height
Wind Power
Density Interval
(m/s)
0 50
50 100
100 150
150 200
200 250
250 300
300 350
350 400
400 450
450 500
500 550
550 600
600 650
650 700
700 750
750 800
800 850
Potential Area
(Sq km)
Wind Power
Classes
1969
13577
53724
74313
78468
88697
104745
117821
35934
12214
4009
2998
2558
1375
512
256
1
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
It is estimated at 100m height; 69270 sq km is categorized as Poor, 152781

sq km is categorized as fair, 193442 sq km is categorized as good and
177678 sq km is categorized as Poor.
Potential Area with Wind Power Density Interval (watts/m2) at 100m height
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
800 850
750 800
700 750
650 700
600 650
550 600
500 550
450 500
400 450
350 400
300 350
250 300
200 250
150 200
100 150
50 100
0 50
Wind Power
Density
Figure 4: Potential Areas with defined interval of wind power density at 100
m.a.g.l.
Furthermore, as is shown below in Figure 5; comparative analysis of WPD
was carried out by WinDForce at different height of 60m, 80m and 100m
heights respectively.
Comparative Analysis of WPD at 60m, 80m and 100m height
140000
120000
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 60m
100000
80000
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 80m
60000
40000
Potentia Area
(Sq km) 100m
20000
0 50
50 100
100 150
150 200
200 250
250 300
300 350
350 400
400 450
450 500
500 550
550 600
600 650
650 700
700 750
750 800
800 850
Figure 5: Comparative Analysis of WPD at 60m, 80m and 100m
Many locations in Kenya have significant wind resource, as is identified by

WinDForce during the assessment carried out in GIS environment using wind
mast datasets, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, SRTM Digital Elevation Model and
Global Land Cover (GLC 2000) datasets. Since, detailed measurements over
the course of a year or more are typically required to generate bankable
data sufficient to obtain a loan for construction of a wind power plant; the
data sets captured by the 95 wind masts installed in Kenya covering all
seasonal parameters for at least a years time is considered. The seasonal
and daily pattern of wind speeds at each site affects the amount of power
that can be generated from that site at different times and hence the
revenues that can be generated from the potential wind sites.
WinDForce has developed wind speed maps of Kenya at 60m, 80m and
100m height for development of wind Atlas for Kenya. Figure 6 & 7
represents the wind speed and wind classes map of Kenya developed by
WinDForce at 80m height.
Figure 6: Wind Speed Map of Kenya at 80m height
Figure 7: Wind Classes Map of Kenya at 80m height

Following the Wind Data Analysis and Wind Atlas Development, WinDForce
carried out pre-feasibility study in terms of Wind Resource Assessment in
terms of annual energy output. The Atlas development resulted into
identification of 8 potential wind sites potentially viable for generating
energy using different wind turbine models and further onsite resource
assessment calculation. The selection of appropriate sites involved

consideration of many aspects such as distance from transmission system,
terrain, logistics, environmental issues etc. The 8 sites identified are given in
the figure 8.
Figure 8: Identified 8 sites for pre-feasibility study

The resource assessment is carried out for a capacity of 50 MW wind farm at
each selected site. The number of WTGs location chosen for Annual energy
output varies for different WTG models at hub height of 80m as shown in the
table 5 for 2 WTG models as an illustration. Annual energy output is derived
for each Wind-farm sites to arrive at optimal layout of the Wind-farm with
minimum spacing of 7D and 5D as per industry accordance. The optimal
layout of the Wind-farm is based on WinDForce WRA optimization model
considering a maximal boundary area of 80 sq km near to the site and mast
locations respectively.
For the short-listed 8 sites, the plant load factor in the range of 25% - 40%
using Class II wind turbine model such as GE103 and V100 with 80 hub
height. WinDForce has also computed PLF results for these 8 sites with other
WTG models including Gamesa 97 with 78m hub height, Sinovel82 with 80m
hub height and Suzlon97 with 90m hub height.
Table 4: Identified 08 potential sites for WRA

Measured
Mast
locations
UTM Zone
Easting
Baragoi
Garissa
Habaswe
ni
Hola
Liasmis
Narok
Maikona
Ngomeni
253842
579391
554768
614292
367192
781629
352373
630450
Site Name
WTGs Model >>
GE - GE103
Vestas - V100
Annual
Mean
Wind
Speed at
40
m.a.g.l.
5.42
(m/s)
5.72
6.33
Net AEP
(GWh/
year)
Net AEP
(GWh/
year)
Northing Zone
Distance
from
proposed
wind farm
site (km)
Average
Wind
Speed at
40 meter
height
(m/s)
5.42
5.72
6.33
5.05
5.18
5.55
7.06
5.61
Mast
Elevation
(m)
197457
37 N
15
1250
995788
37 M
24
225
9
111534
37 N
13
207
983374
37 M
25
66
4
176467
37 N
24
585
987821
36 M
15
1964
9
286391
37 N
40
405
966566
37 M
62
11
5
Table 5: Net Annual Energy Output using different WTGs Model for each site
Baragoi
Garissa
Habaswe
ni
Hola
Liasmis
Narok
Maikona
Ngomeni
5.05
5.18
5.55
7.06
5.61
Averag
e Site
Elevati
on (m)
Net PLF
(%)
Net PLF
(%)
1288
204
217
155.4
150.1
176.6
34.8%
33.6%
39.5%
146.8
136.6
164.6
34.5%
32.1%
38.7%
78
619
1957
404
1
158.8
136.9
107.4
181.2
185.1
35.6%
30.6%
24.0%
40.6%
41.4%
145.1
124.2
97.5
171.5
173.1
34.1%
29.2%
22.9%
40.3%
40.6%
With Plant Load factors for 2 WTG models for short-listed sites ranging
between 30-40%; the 500 MW wind capacity estimate over next 3 years by
the Government of Kenya looks like an achievable objective.
WIND PROJECTS IN KENYA

At present, wind energy shares only a meagre 0.3% of total energy
installations in Kenya despite immense potential. The Government of Kenya,
over the past few years have received 23 proposals for setting up wind
projects in the country of which 20 proposals have been accepted. These
projects amount to more than 1000 MW of wind energy production.
On-going Project: Ngong Wind I, Phase-I
Ngong Hills wind project consists of six windmills generating 5.1 MW of clean
electricity. It is a source of low cost and reliable energy to the national grind
of Kenya. The wind farm consists of 6 turbines of 850 KW each. The wind
farm is owned by Kenya Electricity Generation Company (Kengen). Ngong
Hills wind project is the first and only wind project set up in Kenya and was
predicted to pay back its initial installation cost in a period of 3 years8.
Kengen secured an agreement for the execution of Ngong Hills Wind Power
project with TPF-Econoler SA (TPFE), Belgium on October 27, 2007.
As the existing wind speeds in Ngong Hills region highly favorable and the
location is fairly close to Nairobi, the largest load centre in Kenya; Kengen
plans to expand the existing wind farm from 5.1 MW to 25.5 MW capacities
in the coming years. As part of Ngong hills wind power development
initiatives, Ngong Wind I Phase II will be commissioned soon. This addition
of 6.8 MW Project will increase the total capacity to 13.9 MW9.
8
9
http://en.openei.org/datasets/files/720/pub/sweraprodoc_6.pdf
http://www.kengen.co.ke/index.php?page=business&subpage=current
Existing and Proposed Wind Projects in Kenya:

Table 6: List of Existing and Proposed Wind Projects in Kenya
No.
1.
Project
Title
Project
Location
Capacity Description
(MW)
Ngong
Wind I
Phase II
Ngong Hills,
Kenya
6.8
2.
Ngong
Wind II
Ngong Hills,
Kenya
13.6
3.
Lake
Turkana
Project
Turkana,
Kenya
300
Contract signed with TPF-Econoler

in 2011
Financial closure achieved in Jan
2013
Contract commenced on February
2013
Contract valid for 18 months
Involves supply, installation &
commissioning of 8 Vestas V50
wind turbines for 12 Mn Euros
Advance payment effected
Turbine micro-siting is in progress
Contract signed with iberdrolla/
Gamesa consortium in 2010
Financial closure achieved in Jan.
2013
Contract commenced on February
2013
Contract runs for 19 months
Involves supply, installation &
commissioning of 16 Gamesa
wind turbines for 20 Mn Euros
Advance payment effected
Turbine micro-siting is in progress
Project will be about 20% of the
existing installed capacity
Site located in Marsabit District of
Kenya A very high wind
potential zone
Sr.
No.
4.
Project
Title
Project
Location
Capacity
(MW)
Description
Lake
Turkana
Project
Turkana,
Kenya
300
5.
Isiolo
Wind
Isiolo, Kenya
50
A 200 km road stretch would

be brought to the wind farm
from Laisamis10.
Wind Farm will consist of
more than 350 turbines
Financial Closure achieved
Funded by a consortium of
lenders led by AfDB
Planned to be executed in
two phases
Phase I: 50MW and Phase II:
100MW
Estimated Cost of the project
is US$ 400 million (Phase I:
US$ 130 and Phase II: US$
270MW)
Feasibility Study Completed
Payment Security and other benefits

The financial risks associated with implementation of a wind energy project
can be due to various factors like increasing exchange rates, payment
security risks, CDM related risks etc. Each kind of risk has a different impact,
and also some have high potential of occurrence and some have low.
10
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Environmental-and-Social-Assessments/Kenya%20%20Lake%20Turkana%20Wind%20Power%20Project%20-%20ESIA%20Summary.pdf
Major risks and their mitigation strategies identified are:

Risk
Risk
Description
Probability Potential Risk Mitigation

of
Impact
Strategy
Occurrence
Exchange Construction
Rate
costs estimate
may change
Risks
due to changes
in exchange
rate for foreign
currency
Low
Payment
Security
Risks
Risks that the

buyer does not
pay agreed
tariff / subsidy
to the project
developer
Medium
CDM
Related
Risks
Risks related to
future and
prices of CERs
generated
through
programmatic
CDM of
renewable
energy projects
Low
Low
Medium
Low
Could be managed if
hedged and therefore
transferring the risk
to a Financial
Institution.
This risk could be

minimized by having
specific payment
security clause in the
subsidy letter / sale
of power agreement
with Government
Agencies / Buyers
Standard derivative
product may be used
to hedge CER Price
risks.
CONCLUSION
Kenya as a growing economy in Africa presents an attractive investment
option in the area of wind power generation in the coming years. The
country faces a unique challenge of yet to build nearly 90% of the additional
capacity needed in 2030, as projected in Kenya Vision 2030. The country will
benefit from the recent global progress in renewable power generation
technologies and their cost reductions to leapfrog the development path
taken by industrialized countries and move directly to a renewable-based
systems.
Kenya has ambitious plans to increase the share of renewable energy
especially wind in their electricity mix as the country is looking to derive
2036 MW from Wind energy by 2030.
The implementation of wind energy projects would reduce countrys
dependency on hydro power projects. It is generally known that wind power
complements hydro power. To simplify, in Kenya, it is a combination of wind
and hydro which is going to be the long term solution for meeting the power
requirements.
The GOK has come up with attractive policy frameworks to result in high
equity returns to any investor in wind energy projects. In this regard, the
country has gone ahead with a comprehensive programme on wind speed
monitoring across the country and WinDForce has come up with a revised
wind atlas of Kenya, which can be a very useful tool for identification of wind
sites for further developments. Analysis has shown that Kenya is rich in wind
energy resource, which in combination with the GOK policies should result in
financially feasible and highly successful wind-farm projects for investors.
CONTACT DETAILS: MINISTRY OF ENERGY

In case you seek any additional information, please contact:
1) Eng. Issac Kiva, Director, Ministry of Energy, Kenya
Email id: issackiva@energy.go.ke; isaac_kiva@yahoo.com
Direct Telephone: +254 203 10 112
2) Eng. Kihara Mungai, Mechanical Engineer, Ministry of Energy,
Kenya
Email id: mkihara@energy.go.ke; kiharamungai@gmail.com
Direct Telephone: +254 722 684 191

Wind Sector Prospectus Kenya

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Wind Sector Prospectus Kenya

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WinDForce Management Services Private Limited, 5th Floor, Universal Trade Tower, Gurgaon Sohna Road, Sector 49,

consultancy services for Wind Energy Data Analysis and Development

KENYAS WIND ENERGY SECTOR

Immense wind energy resource

Technological advancements in wind energy

Diversification of energy sources to reduce over-dependency on

High cost Diesel Generation

In order to promote renewable energy projects like wind energy

ATTRACTIVE POLICY AND REGULATORY

Development of National Climate Change Response Strategy in 20104

The Feed in Tariff values for Wind project is tabulated below:

As a result of the publication of the FiT, there has been a considerable

Salient Features of FIT in Kenya

7. All projects implemented under the Feed-in-Tariff system shall comply

WIND RESOURCE POTENTIAL IN KENYA

Geographically, in Central provinces, counties such as Nyeri experience fairly

Area under different Wind Speed classes (m/s) at 100 m.a.g.l

Figure 2: Wind Speed Map of Kenya at 100m height

Furthermore, comparative analysis of Wind speed was carried out at

Area under different Wind speed classes

Figure 3: Comparative Analysis of Wind speed at 60m, 80m and 100m

It is estimated at 100m height; 69270 sq km is categorized as Poor, 152781

Figure 5: Comparative Analysis of WPD at 60m, 80m and 100m

Many locations in Kenya have significant wind resource, as is identified by

Figure 6: Wind Speed Map of Kenya at 80m height

Figure 7: Wind Classes Map of Kenya at 80m height

assessment calculation. The selection of appropriate sites involved

Figure 8: Identified 8 sites for pre-feasibility study

Table 4: Identified 08 potential sites for WRA

WTGs Model >>

WIND PROJECTS IN KENYA

Existing and Proposed Wind Projects in Kenya:

Contract signed with TPF-Econoler

A 200 km road stretch would

Payment Security and other benefits

Major risks and their mitigation strategies identified are:

Probability Potential Risk Mitigation

Risks that the

This risk could be

CONTACT DETAILS: MINISTRY OF ENERGY

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